Course Information

Undergraduate course offerings appear in the following pages by department, with the departments arranged alphabetically within the colleges. Interdisciplinary courses appear at the beginning of college sections and under “International Programs.” (Departmental and college sections may be located by means of the table of contents.)

Each course is assigned a certain number of semester hours of credit. In general, one semester hour represents the equivalent of one class hour of lecture or recitation or two hours of laboratory work per week for one semester. The semester-hour value of each course listed is shown by an arabic numeral in parentheses immediately after the title of the course. Some course descriptions include a list of topics for intensive or specialized study which the course may cover in different semesters.

Definitions of Terms Used in This Catalog

Academic dismissal: Dismissal from the university for not maintaining the required grade point average (GPA).

Accredited institution: A postsecondary institution that is accredited by the appropriate commission of a regional agency (New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or Western Association of Schools and Colleges).

Add/drop: The process of making certain changes (adding, dropping, or changing a course) in a student’s schedule of courses at the beginning of a semester.

Auditing: Registering for and attending a class regularly without completing the work required for credit. (No grade points or credit hours are granted for audited courses.)

Certificate of Undergraduate Study: A certificate of undergraduate study is awarded upon successful completion of a specified coherent set of undergraduate courses around a specific theme. Notation of a specific certificate of undergraduate study will be posted on the student’s transcript upon the successful completion of the requirements for that certificate.

Competency examination: An examination given to determine if a student meets or surpasses the expected level of achievement for a core competency requirement in the general education program. Passing a core competency examination fulfills the requirement for the core competency but gives no credit, i.e., it reduces the required number of hours in general education but does not reduce the number of hours required for a degree. Information on competency examinations is available from the Office of Testing Services.

Concurrent enrollment: Enrollment by a student at both NIU and another institution, if any course taken at the other institution is in session at any time during the NIU semester or summer session in question.

Corequisite: A requirement, usually enrollment in a course, which should be undertaken at the same time as the course being described (if the corequisite has not been completed previously).

Credit by examination: A procedure through which a student can obtain college credit by passing examinations. Credit is available through Advanced Placement (AP), the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), and NIU proficiency examinations. AP examinations are administered by high schools, while the Office of Testing Services administers some CLEP and proficiency examinations; proficiency examinations are also administered by academic departments.

Departmental requirements: Courses offered by a department and specified by that department as necessary for completion of a given course of study.

Drop: A procedure which allows a student to delete a course from the schedule through the second week of the semester. This course does not appear on the student’s permanent academic record. An administrative office may drop students from courses in which they are not eligible to enroll.

Elective: A course that a student chooses to enroll in, as distinguished from a required course at the university level or in a given departmental course of study.

Emphasis: A subdivision of an undergraduate major. Courses and total hours required may vary in a multiemphasis major.

Encumbrance: A hold placed on a student’s record as a result of an unfulfilled obligation to the university or of a disciplinary action. A student with an encumbrance preventing registration is not eligible to participate in class work.

Endorsement: The written notation entered upon the face of a educator licensure designating additional specific subjects and/or grade levels which an individual is qualified to teach. Endorsements are earned by taking designated course work in a specific discipline area.

GPA hours: The number of semester hours for which grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, or F are recorded.

Grade point: The numerical value given to letter grades. See Grading System.

Grade point average (GPA): A student’s scholastic average, computed by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted at NIU.

Half-session courses: Courses which are offered for the first or second half of an academic term, rather than a full term.

Hold: See “Encumbrance.”

Honors courses: Special courses or sections of courses designed to offer intellectual challenge and personal attention to particularly able students. Honors courses are identified by an H suffix on the course number.

Incomplete: A grade (I) sometimes granted when a student is temporarily unable to complete course requirements or take a final examination because of unusual personal circumstances.

Major: An extensive program of study in a designated subject area at the undergraduate level.

Minor: A limited course of study in a designated subject area at the undergraduate level. A student may not take a minor offered by the department of his or her major unless this is specifically permitted in the description of the minor.

Nondegree student: A student who does not hold a degree and is not currently seeking one. Application for this status should be made to the Office of Admissions.

Part-time student: A student who takes fewer than 12 semester hours during the semester or fewer than 6 semester hours during the summer session.

Prerequisite: A requirement, usually completion of a course, which should be met before a student can register for a course.

Proficiency examination: A way for a student to receive course credit for individual or special study. Proficiency examinations are administered by academic departments and the Office of Testing Services. See “Credit by examination.”

Readmission: A procedure by which a student who was previously enrolled in the university but whose attendance was interrupted for more than one year is reaccepted into NIU.

Recognized institution: An institution in a country outside of the U.S. that is recognized by that nation’s Ministry of Education, or similar authority, as a post-secondary, academic-degree-granting-institution.

Reinstatement: An admission procedure followed by a student who was formerly enrolled in the university but was academically dismissed.